Two Days in Listvyanka at Lake Baikal

With a few hours spent out at the Taltsy Museum ‘Village’, we were once again on our way to Listvyanka to spend the day and night. I would have rather spent at least three days in the Listvyanka area however, I knew the weather would be turning tomorrow and would be the start of the Siberian winter weather that would fall over the lake.

We arrived into the Listvyanka area in the late afternoon. Luckily, we still had plenty of time to tour the small village that is backed up against the Baikal mountains and that faces the enormous Baikal Lake. And since I’m sure many of you reading this aren’t familiar with this world location and its uniqueness, I thought it fitting to give a quick run down of not just the highlights but also what makes this area both fascinating and also like no other on earth. In that respect, I’m referring to two things… Lake Baikal itself and the native people in this area and their historical relationship to this lake.

Amazing Facts regarding Lake Baikal and the area:

• World’s deepest and oldest lake. Baikal hold’s 20% of the world’s        freshwater, is over a mile (1.6km) deep and is 25 million years old.
• One of the clearest lakes in the world in which you can see up to 130 feet beneath its surface.
• Home to 1,700 species of plants and animals
• More than 600 species of fish in this lake are found nowhere else in the world
• The lake is inhabited by freshwater seals (1 of only 3 freshwater seals found in the world)
• There are ‘walking trees’ that can found along the sandy shores of the lake that literally move location each year
• Declared a UNESCO world heritage site
• Connected with the Trans-Siberian railway in the late 1800’s
• Home to both Russians and the native Buryats, the Siberian people who inhabit the Lake Baikal region today and have done so for centuries past

So now that you know what has prompted my desire to come out to the village of Listvyanka on Lake Baikal, it was now time for us to find a place to stay. This ended up being more of a challenge than I’d hoped since I figured if we were seeking a place during the week, it would be an easier task. Well, there were in fact plenty of places around however, when you’re on a budget, your options can be a bit more limited in such as small village.

Although I was smart enough to write down a few places for lodging in Listvyanka before I got here as options, upon getting there by car, we were only able to find one which was the Baikaler Eco-Hostel. Now, for those of you future backpackers out there, this place actually seemed pretty nice however since we were two people instead of just one, we opted to search out a couple other options for the ‘per person price’ we’d be paying anyway. And should you actually want to stay at that hostel, just be prepared for the drive (or tough hike) up the hill.

Our guesthouse in Listvyanka

After leaving there we did end up finding a fantastic little guesthouse in which to stay which had everything you needed. It was basically a full efficiency apartment that even had its own kitchen area. What was even better was the fact that it was right on the water so our view from the room overlooked Lake Baikal. Fantastic. And the price per person of what we paid here was essentially same as the hostel we’d just found. The main difference was, this place (and many like it) are only discovered by driving around and knocking on doors. You won’t find it on Hostelworld or Hotels.com however if you want to stay there yourself, look for this sign…

Look for this sign right along the main road along the shore of Lake Baikal

After dropping our bags, we headed out along the Baikal Lake and took up a spot to watch the sunset along its shore. And believe it or not but Lake Baikal is so big, it has its own waves. No, they aren’t very big but they are waves nonetheless… Anyway, the sunset that evening was amazing and we sat and lazily watched the fishing boats drift around.

The next day we drove to the end of Listvyanka and stopped in a couple of the shops along the way. This town essentially survives off tourism during the warmer months of the year and it’s probably most famous for its sales of smoked fish from Lake Baikal of which I took part in myself.

Fish Market in Listvyanka at Lake Baikal

Smoked Fish for sale at the Listvyanka Market

As said earlier, I wish we’d had more time here in Listvyanka as well as on Lake Baikal. There is a lot more to see and do here whether you want to enjoy a holiday weekend or just traveling through on the Trans-Siberian. However, the weather had really turned today and it was snowing this morning. Compound that with some extreme wind coming off the lake and you really didn’t want to be outside for more than about 15 seconds! We ended up heading back to Irkutsk later that morning but the trip in my mind was well worth it and I can’t wait to get back out to Lake Baikal for more experiences. For those coming on the Trans-Siberian train, plan to spend at least a couple of days in the area….